Valve drive device

ABSTRACT

Provided is a valve drive device including a power transmission switching unit capable of reducing noise and improving positional accuracy to perform smooth power switching. In the valve drive device, a valve element drive mechanism includes a motor, a driving gear, a driven gear, and a power transmission switching unit configured to switch between a power transmission state and a power non-transmission state. The power transmission switching unit includes at least one convex unit formed on the driven gear, a rotation restriction unit that is pivotably mounted on the driven gear with respect to the driven gear and engageable with the at least one convex unit, and a lever pivoting restriction unit formed on the driven gear and configured to restrict the rotation restriction unit from pivoting. The rotation restriction unit includes a pivot shaft and a lever unit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to JapanesePatent Application No. 2018-132618 filed on Jul. 12, 2018, the entirecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

At least an embodiment of the present invention relates to a valve drivedevice for driving a valve configured to regulate a fluid flow rate.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, there is a refrigerant valve device for supplying arefrigerant to cool the inside of a refrigerator or the like. Some ofsuch refrigerant valve devices include a valve drive device configuredto drive a valve to adjust the amount of the refrigerant to be suppliedto the inside of the refrigerator (Japanese Patent No. 5615993).

The refrigerant valve device described in Japanese Patent No. 5615993includes, on a base provided with a refrigerant inlet, a refrigerantoutlet, and a valve seat surface: a valve element rotatable about aposition close to either the refrigerant inlet or the refrigerantoutlet; and a valve element drive mechanism configured to rotate thevalve element. The valve element drive mechanism includes a steppingmotor (hereinafter referred to as a motor), a pinion rotating integrallywith a drive shaft of the motor, and an output gear that meshes with thepinion and rotates integrally with the valve element.

When the motor rotates, the output gear and hence the valve element,rotate via the pinion configured to rotate integrally with the motor.Thus, the valve element can adjust the degree of opening of either therefrigerant inlet or the refrigerant outlet and can regulate the supplyamount of the refrigerant.

In this valve element drive mechanism, the pinion is rotated into aforward rotation direction to rotate the output gear and the valveelement from a first rotation-restricted position to a secondrotation-restricted position, which is a position obtained by rotatingthe motor into the forward rotation direction.

Here, when the motor is rotated in a reverse rotation direction torotate the motor from the second rotation-restricted position to thefirst rotation-restricted position to adjust the supply amount of therefrigerant, an arm unit of the output gear abuts on an abutted unit ofthe pinion, and the rotation of the pinion in the reverse rotationdirection is restricted. As a result, the motor tries to continue therotation in the reverse rotation direction while the rotation of thepinion in the reverse rotation direction is restricted, and thus, astep-out occurs in the motor. As a result, during the step-out of themotor, the arm unit and the abutted unit may collide with each other togenerate noise (collision noise).

It is discussed to achieve a configuration where in the valve elementdrive mechanism, the transmission of power from the pinion to the outputgear at the first rotation-restricted position is cut off to prevent thestep-out of the motor and to suppress the generation of the noise, forexample.

Incidentally, if the valve element drive mechanism is configured to cutoff the transmission of power from the pinion to the output gear at thefirst rotation-restricted position, a desirable configuration is wherethe pinion meshes with the output gear to enable power transmission torotate the output gear from the first rotation-restricted position tothe second rotation-restricted position. That is, a power switchingmeans is desirably provided in the valve element drive mechanism. Forexample, it is discussed that the power switching means includes aclutch mechanism or the like, in which if the pinion is rotated in thereverse rotation direction at the first rotation-restricted position,the pinion and the output gear do not mesh with each other; and if thepinion is rotated in the forward rotation direction, the pinion and theoutput gear mesh with each other.

Here, in the above clutch mechanism, one of the configurations forswitching the power transmission state is discussed, for example, inwhich a lever member provided at the side of the output gear and urgedtoward the pinon is pivoted to switch between a contact state and anon-contact state of the lever member and the pinion to switch the powertransmission state.

In this configuration, when the lever member can be pivoted about thepivot shaft and the lever member is urged toward the pinion, a statewhere the lever member contacts the pinion and a state where the levermember is separated from the pinion against an urging force for urgingthe lever member can be switched. In such a configuration, when thelever member urged by the urging force is contacted with the positioningunit, a position of the lever member in the state where the lever memberis separated from the pinion can be determined. As a result, a contactposition of the pinion and the lever member can be secured.

However, a configuration in which the positioning unit contacts thepivot shaft of the lever member to position the lever member isinfluenced due to a variation in dimension of the pivot shaft generatedwhen the lever member is manufactured. As a consequence, when the levermember is positioned in the positioning unit, the position at a distalend unit of the lever member may possibly vary. As a result, thevariation also affects the contact position of the lever member and thepinion, and therefore, power switching of a power switching means maynot be smoothly performed.

At least an embodiment of the present invention has been made in view ofthe above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a valve drivedevice including a power transmission switching unit capable of reducingnoise and improving positional accuracy to perform smooth powerswitching.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided avalve drive device including a valve element drive mechanism configuredto drive a valve element, wherein the valve element drive mechanismcomprises: a motor; a driving gear configured to be rotationally drivenby the motor; a driven gear configured to rotate the valve element byrotation of the driving gear while meshing with the driving gear; and apower transmission switching unit configured to switch between a powertransmission state where the driving gear meshes with the driven gear totransmit power of the motor to the driven gear and a powernon-transmission state where a meshing state between the driving gearand the driven gear is released, the power transmission switching unitincludes: at least one convex unit formed on the driving gear andprotruding toward a radial direction of the driving gear; and a rotationrestriction unit that is pivotably mounted on the driven gear withrespect to the driven gear and configured to be engageable with the atleast one convex unit, and the rotation restriction unit includes: apivot shaft inserted in the driven gear; and a lever unit extending fromthe pivot shaft in a circumferential direction of the driven gear andurged outward in a radial direction of the driven gear, and the drivengear includes a lever pivoting restriction unit configured to contactthe lever unit of the rotation restriction unit to restrict the rotationrestriction unit from pivoting radially outward, and in a state wherethe lever pivoting restriction unit restricts the rotation restrictionunit from pivoting, a gap is formed between the lever pivotingrestriction unit and the pivot shaft.

In this aspect, in a state where the lever pivoting restriction unitcontacts the rotation restriction unit to restrict the rotationrestriction unit from pivoting, a gap is formed between the leverpivoting restriction unit and the pivot shaft, and thus, direct contactbetween the lever pivoting restriction unit and the pivot shaft can beavoided. This eliminates a need of positioning the rotation restrictionunit at a portion of the pivot shaft, and the lever pivoting restrictionunit contacts a region other than the pivot shaft of the rotationrestriction unit to perform the positioning, and therefore, it ispossible to alleviate an influence due to a variation in dimension orthe like of the pivot shaft, and it is possible to secure a positionalaccuracy of a distal end of the lever unit in a state where the rotationrestriction unit does not contact the convex unit.

Further, in this aspect, the meshing state between the driving gear andthe driven gear is switched in the power transmission switching unit toswitch the state of the power transmission, and thus, there is no needto step out the motor. Therefore, noise can be reduced.

In the valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention, the lever unit of the rotation restriction unitincludes: a first contact unit configured to contact the at least oneconvex unit when the driving gear rotates in a first direction; and asecond contact unit configured to contact the at least one convex unitwhen the driving gear rotates in a second direction opposite to thefirst direction, wherein when the at least one convex unit contacts thefirst contact unit, the rotation restriction unit is pressed by the atleast one convex unit to rotate the driven gear, and teeth of thedriving gear and teeth of the driven gear mesh with each other such thatthe power transmission state is obtained, and when the at least oneconvex unit contacts the second contact unit, the rotation restrictionunit pivots radially inward against an urging force that urges therotation restriction unit, and the driving gear rotates idly without theteeth of the driving gear meshing with the teeth of the driven gear tomaintain the power non-transmission state.

The lever unit of the rotation restriction unit according to this aspectincludes: a first contact unit configured to contact the at least oneconvex unit when the driving gear rotates in a first direction; and asecond contact unit configured to contact the at least one convex unitwhen the driving gear rotates in a second direction opposite to thefirst direction, wherein when the at least one convex unit contacts thefirst contact unit, the rotation restriction unit is pressed by the atleast one convex unit to rotate the driven gear, and teeth of thedriving gear and teeth of the driven gear mesh with each other such thatthe power transmission state is obtained, and when the at least oneconvex unit contacts the second contact unit, the rotation restrictionunit pivots radially inward against an urging force that urges therotation restriction unit, and the driving gear rotates idly without theteeth of the driving gear meshing with the teeth of the driven gear tomaintain the power non-transmission state. Therefore, power can betransmitted or disconnected from the motor to the driven gear solely byswitching a portion to be contacted by the at least one convex unit inaccordance with a rotation direction of the driving gear, and therefore,the rotation restriction unit can have a simple configuration.

In the valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention, when a part of the second contact unit contacts thelever pivoting restriction unit, the lever unit being urged outward inthe radial direction of the driven gear is restricted from pivotingradially outward.

In this aspect, the second contact unit is provided on the lever unitextending in the circumferential direction of the driven gear from thepivot shaft in the rotation restriction unit and the second contact unitcontacts the lever pivoting restriction unit to restrict the lever unitfrom pivoting radially outward, and thus, a contact position of therotation restriction unit with the lever pivoting restriction unit canbe set to a position separated from the pivot shaft, and when thecontact position is provided on the lever unit, the rotation restrictionunit can be restricted from pivoting at a position close to a distal endposition of the lever unit. As a result, the positional accuracy of thedistal end position of the lever unit can be improved in a state wherethe rotation restriction unit is restricted by the lever pivotingrestriction unit.

In the valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention, the second contact unit of the lever unit is locatedon an outer peripheral side in the radial direction of the driven gear,and is formed as a curved surface extending along the circumferentialdirection of the driven gear.

In this aspect, the second contact unit of the lever unit is located onthe outer peripheral side in the radial direction of the driven gear andis formed as a curved surface extending along the circumferentialdirection of the driven gear, and thus, the second contact unit contactsthe at least one convex unit and is pivoted radially inward of thedriven gear, and when the at least one convex unit is separated from thesecond contact unit, the curved surface of the second contact unit canbe located closer to the at least one convex unit to be contacted next,as compared to a case where the second contact unit is linearly formed.In other words, the second contact unit having contacted the at leastone convex unit is separated from the at least one convex unit at aposition close to a position restricted by the lever pivotingrestriction unit. As a result, as compared with the case where thesecond contact unit is formed linearly, a momentum when the secondcontact unit and the lever pivoting restriction unit contact when the atleast one convex unit is separated from the second contact unit can bealleviated. As a result, it is possible to suppress generation of noiseat the time of contact between the second contact unit and the leverpivoting restriction unit in a pivot operation of the rotationrestriction unit.

The valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention further includes an urging member configured to urgethe rotation restriction unit outward in the radial direction of thedriven gear.

In this aspect, the above-described operation and effect can beobtained.

The valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention further includes, at a distal end of the lever unit,an urging member contact unit configured to receive an urging force ofthe urging member.

In this aspect, at the distal end of the lever unit, the urging membercontact unit configured to receive the urging force of the urging memberis provided, and thus, the urging force for urging the rotationrestriction unit can be acted on the distal end of the lever unit. Here,a torque to be applied to the rotation restriction unit can be obtainedby multiplying a distance between the pivot shaft and the urging membercontacting unit by a magnitude of the urging force. Therefore, even ifthe urging force is small, a larger torque can be obtained, and afterthe contact with the at least one convex unit is released, the distalend of the lever unit can be reliably returned to a position before thecontact with the at least one convex unit.

In the valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention, the urging member is a torsion spring held on a shaftunit of the driven gear, the driven gear is provided with a holding unitconfigured to hold one end of the torsion spring, and the other end ofthe torsion spring urges the urging member contact unit.

In this aspect, the urging member is a torsion spring held on a shaftunit of the driven gear, the driven gear is provided with a holding unitconfigured to hold one end of the torsion spring, the other end of thetorsion spring urges the urging member contact unit, and thus, theholding configuration of the urging member in the driven gear can besimplified.

In the valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention, the driven gear has a protruding unit configured toprotrude radially outward and in an axial direction of the driven gearfrom one surface of the driven gear, and in the protruding unit, thelever pivoting restriction unit is formed on an inner side in the radialdirection of the driven gear.

In this aspect, the above-described operation and effect can beobtained.

In the valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention, the driven gear has a hole unit configured topenetrate the driven gear in the axial direction of the driven gear, apart of the hole unit is formed in the protruding unit, and theprotruding unit has, at a position corresponding to the hole unit, asupport surface extending along the axial direction of the driven gearand configured to support the pivot shaft.

In this aspect, the protruding unit has, at a position corresponding tothe hole unit, the support surface extending along the axial directionof the driven gear and configured to support the pivot shaft, and thus,the support surface can support the pivot shaft to suppress collapsingof the pivot shaft. As a result, pivoting of the rotation restrictionunit about the pivot shaft can be made smoother.

In the valve drive device according to at least an embodiment of thepresent invention, the driven gear includes a co-rotation preventionunit configured to restrict the driven gear from rotating in a rotationdirection in accordance with a rotation direction of the driving gear bybeing pressed by the at least one convex unit in a rotation direction ofthe convex unit, when the at least one convex unit contacts the secondcontact unit and the rotation restriction unit pivots radially inwardagainst the urging force that urges the rotation restriction unit.

In this aspect, co-rotation of the driven gear due to the driving gearcan be restricted by the co-rotation prevention unit, and thus, a stateof idle rotation of the driving gear can be maintained and the powernon-transmission state can be surely maintained.

In at least an embodiment of the present invention, the direct contactbetween the lever pivoting restriction unit and the pivot shaft can beavoided. This eliminates a need of positioning the rotation restrictionunit at a portion of the pivot shaft and the lever pivoting restrictionunit contacts a region other than the pivot shaft of the rotationrestriction unit to perform the positioning, and therefore, it ispossible to alleviate an influence due to a variation in dimension orthe like of the pivot shaft, and it is possible to secure a positionalaccuracy of a distal end of the lever unit in a state where the rotationrestriction unit does not contact the at least one convex unit. Further,in at least an embodiment of the present invention, the meshing statebetween the driving gear and the driven gear can be switched in thepower transmission switching unit to switch the power transmissionstates, and thus, there is no need to step out the motor. Therefore,noise can be reduced.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presentdisclosure, and together with the general description given above andthe detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve toexplain the principles of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a valve drive device according to thepresent embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the valve drive device according tothe present embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve element drive mechanism in thevalve drive device;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the valve element drive mechanism in thevalve drive device;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an output gear;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the output gear;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a driven portion in the valveelement drive mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a driven gear viewed from an upper side;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the driven gear viewed from an upperside;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the driven gear viewed from a bottomside;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a rotation restriction unit;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a relationship between a footunit of the rotation restriction unit and a foot-unit accommodation unitof the driven gear;

FIG. 13A is a perspective view of the valve element viewed from anopposite side of a valve seat surface, and FIG. 13B is a perspectiveview of the valve element viewed from a seat surface side;

FIG. 14 represents an opened and closed state of a first valve and asecond valve in each step;

FIG. 15 illustrates phase states of the output gear and the driven gearand a state of the valve element;

FIG. 16 illustrates phase states of the output gear and the driven gearand a state of the valve element;

FIG. 17 illustrates phase states of the output gear and the driven gearand a state of the valve element;

FIG. 18 illustrates a state of the valve element drive mechanism in anorigin returning operation;

FIG. 19 illustrates a state of the valve element drive mechanism in theorigin returning operation;

FIG. 20 illustrates a state of the valve element drive mechanism duringdriving the valve element;

FIG. 21 illustrates a state of the valve element drive mechanism duringdriving the valve element;

FIG. 22 illustrates a relationship between the output gear and thedriven gear at an origin position;

FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B illustrate a state where the co-rotation of thedriven gear with respect to a driving gear is restricted by a secondrotation restriction unit;

FIG. 24 illustrates a relationship of the center position of a pivotshaft of the rotation restriction unit with respect to the driven gear;

FIG. 25 is a schematic view for describing a relationship between anurging force acting on the rotation restriction unit and the foot unit;and

FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B are schematic views for describing an effect ofconfiguring a second contact unit of a lever unit as a curved surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the followingdetailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However,it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the presentdisclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known methods, procedures, systems, and components havenot been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspectsof the various embodiments.

Embodiment

(Overview of Valve Drive Device)

A valve drive device 10 according to the present embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. The valve drive device 10may be mounted in a refrigerator as an example, and adjusts the supplyamount of a refrigerant (fluid) for cooling inside the refrigerator. Thevalve drive device 10 includes a valve main body 12, an inflow pipe 14extending from the valve main body 12, a first outflow pipe 16 and asecond outflow pipe 18 each extending parallel to the inflow pipe 14,and a cover member 20 configured to cover an upper portion of the valvemain body 12. It is noted that in the following description, forconvenience, the extending direction of the inflow pipe 14, the firstoutflow pipe 16, and the second outflow pipe 18 is defined as theup-down direction, the valve main body 12 is defined as the upper side,and the inflow pipe 14, the first outflow pipe 16, and the secondoutflow pipe 18 are defined as the lower side.

In FIG. 2, the valve main body 12 includes a base member 22, a motor 24,a sealing cover 26, a base main body 28, and a valve element drivemechanism 30. The base main body 28 has an upper surface 28 a. Theinflow pipe 14, the first outflow pipe 16, and the second outflow pipe18 are each attached to the base main body 28. The sealing cover 26 isattached to an upper portion of the base main body 28. The base mainbody 28 and the sealing cover 26 form a valve chamber 32.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a fluid inlet 28 b is formed on the uppersurface 28 a. The fluid inlet 28 b is in communication with the inflowpipe 14 attached to the base main body 28. A refrigerant (fluid) issupplied from the inflow pipe 14 into the valve chamber 32.

On the other hand, a valve seat constitutional member 34 (see FIG. 2,FIG. 3, FIG. 7, and FIG. 15 to FIG. 17) is attached to the base mainbody 28. The valve seat constitutional member 34 is attached with thefirst outflow pipe 16 and the second outflow pipe 18, and a first fluidoutlet 34 a in communication with the first outflow pipe 16 and a secondfluid outlet 34 b in communication with the second outflow pipe 18 areprovided in the valve seat constitutional member 34. The fluid suppliedfrom the inflow pipe 14 into the valve chamber 32 flows out from thefirst fluid outlet 34 a to the first outflow pipe 16, or from the secondfluid outlet 34 b to the second outflow pipe 18.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the motor 24 includes a stator 36 and a rotor40 attached with a drive magnet 38. The stator 36 is arranged so as tosurround the rotor 40 with the sealing cover 26 interposed therebetween.

In the present embodiment, the stator 36 is provided with a core member42 as illustrated in FIG. 2. A winding is wound as a drive coil 37 inthe core member 42 of the stator 36. One end of the drive coil 37(winding) wound around the stator 36 is bound and connected to one endof a non-illustrated motor terminal. The non-illustrated motor terminalis electrically coupled to a non-illustrated connector, substrate, orthe like to supply electric power to the stator 36.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the rotor 40 includes the drivemagnet 38, a driving gear 46, and a spindle 48. In the spindle 48, thedriving gear 46 and the drive magnet 38 are rotatably attached to thespindle 48. The drive magnet 38 is attached to the driving gear 46. Theupper end of the spindle 48 is supported by a bearing unit 26 a formedin the sealing cover 26, and the lower end of the spindle 48 issupported by a bearing unit 28 c formed in the base main body 28. In thepresent embodiment, the rotor 40 is configured to rotate within thevalve chamber 32 about the spindle 48 as the rotation center by thedrive magnet 38 when the stator 36 (drive coil 37) is excited.

(Overview of Valve Element Drive Mechanism)

A configuration of the valve element drive mechanism 30 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 12. As illustrated in FIG. 3and FIG. 4, the valve element drive mechanism 30 includes the motor 24,the driving gear 46, a driven gear 50, and a power transmissionswitching unit 52. The power transmission switching unit 52, which willbe described later, is configured to switch between a power transmissionstate where power is transmitted between the driving gear 46 and thedriven gear 50 and a power non-transmission state in which the power isnot transmitted. In the present embodiment, the power transmissionswitching unit 52 includes a convex unit 46 b of the driving gear 46described later and a rotation restriction unit 62.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a gear unit 46 a is formed at alower end of the driving gear 46.

A plurality of convex units 46 b are formed above the gear unit 46 a.The tooth of the gear unit 46 a corresponding to the convex unit 46 b inthe circumferential direction of the driving gear 46 is configured as alock avoidance tooth 46 c.

The plurality of convex units 46 b protrude from a main body 46 d of thedriving gear 46 radially outward of the driving gear 46. In the presentembodiment, the convex unit 46 b may be formed in a flat plate shape asan example. It is noted that the shape of the convex unit 46 b is notlimited to a flat plate shape, and may be any shape as long as theconvex unit 46 b can be engaged with the rotation restriction unit 62described later. In the present embodiment, the plurality of convexunits 46 b are each formed at positions corresponding to the N pole orthe S pole of the drive magnet 38 in the circumferential direction ofthe driving gear 46.

In the present embodiment, the number of magnetic poles of the drivemagnet 38 is, for example, eight. Thus, in the present embodiment, theconvex units 46 b are arranged at four positions in the driving gear 46.Specifically, the convex units 46 b are arranged in the driving gear 46at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the driving gear46, and in the present embodiment, the convex units 46 b are formed atfour positions, and thus, are arranged at 90 degrees intervals (see FIG.18 to FIG. 21). In the present embodiment, the convex unit 46 b isformed to have a thickness corresponding to the tooth thickness of thetooth of the gear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the addendum circlediameter of the lock avoidance tooth 46 c is set to d1. On the otherhand, in the gear unit 46 a, the addendum circle diameter of teeth otherthan the lock avoidance tooth is set to d2. In the present embodiment,the addendum circle diameter d1 is set to be smaller than the addendumcircle diameter d2. It is noted that the circle indicated by adot-dashed line in FIG. 6 illustrates the addendum circle diameter ofthe lock avoidance tooth 46 c, and the circle indicated by a two-dotchain line illustrates the addendum circle diameter of the teeth otherthan the lock avoidance tooth 46 c.

Next, the configuration at the side of the driven gear 50 to be drivento rotate with respect to the driving gear 46 will be described. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, a spindle 54 is inserted at the center in theradial direction of the driven gear 50. The driven gear 50 is configuredto be rotatable about the spindle 54. Below the driven gear 50, a valveelement 56 is arranged. In the present embodiment, the valve element 56is configured to be integrally rotatable with the driven gear 50 aboutthe spindle 54. Below the valve element 56, the valve seatconstitutional member 34 is arranged. The upper surface of the valveseat constitutional member 34 is configured as a valve seat surface 34c.

Further, a through hole 34 d is provided at the center of the valve seatconstitutional member 34, and the spindle 54 is inserted thereinto. Itis noted that in FIG. 4, the illustration of the spindle 54 is omitted.In FIG. 4, the arrow with reference numeral R1 indicates a firstdirection being one rotation direction of the driving gear 46, and thearrow with reference numeral R2 indicates a second direction being theother rotation direction of the driving gear 46.

A holding member 58 is attached to an upper portion of the driven gear50. The spindle 54 is passed through the holding member 58. Further, theholding member 58 is configured as a cylindrical member having a flangeunit 58 a formed at the upper portion, and a cylindrical unit 58 bpasses through a torsion spring 60 as an “urging member” to be held.Further, the lever-shaped rotation restriction unit 62 is attached tothe upper portion of the driven gear 50.

(Driven Gear)

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, the driven gear 50 has ameshing unit 50 a in which a plurality of teeth are continuously formedalong the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion anda non-meshing unit 50 b in which no teeth are formed. Further, in theouter peripheral portion of the driven gear 50, a first rotationrestriction unit 50 c configured to restrict the rotation of the drivengear 50 in the first direction R1 is provided at an end of the meshingunit 50 a on the second direction R2 side; and the non-meshing unit 50 bis provided at an end of the meshing unit 50 a on the first direction R1side.

Further, a second rotation restriction unit 50 k as a “co-rotationprevention unit” is provided at an end of the non-meshing unit 50 b onthe first direction R1 side. It is noted that in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, thearrow with reference numeral R1 indicates the driven rotation directionof the driven gear 50 when the driving gear 46 rotates in the firstdirection, and the arrow with reference numeral R2 indicates the drivenrotation direction of the driven gear 50 when the driving gear 46rotates in the second direction. It is noted that the reference numeralfor the second rotation restriction unit 50 k is omitted in FIG. 18 toFIG. 21.

It is noted that in the present embodiment, as illustrated mainly instep S0 of FIG. 15, when the reference circle diameter of the drivinggear 46 and the reference circle diameter of the driven gear 50 arecompared, the reference circle diameter of the driven gear 50 is formedto be larger. In addition, the number of teeth of the gear unit 46 a ofthe driving gear 46 is smaller than the number of teeth formed on themeshing unit 50 a of the driven gear 50. Therefore, in the powertransmission state where the gear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46 andthe meshing unit 50 a of the driven gear 50 mesh with each other torotate, the rotation of the motor 24 can be decelerated and transmittedto the driven gear 50, and thus, even with a small power source, a largetorque can be obtained, and the valve element 56 described later can besurely driven.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, a through hole 50 d intowhich the spindle 54 is inserted is arranged at the center of the drivengear 50. Further, a concave unit 50 e is formed around the through hole50 d on an upper surface 50 p of the driven gear 50 and is configured toreceive a part of the holding member 58 and engage with the holdingmember 58. The holding member 58 engaged with the concave unit 50 econstitutes a shaft unit of the driven gear 50 as well as the spindle 54and holds the torsion spring 60.

In addition, an arc-shaped holding unit 50 f is arranged to surround theconcave unit 50 e on the upper surface 50 p of the driven gear 50. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the holding unit 50 f is configured to engagewith one end 60 a of the torsion spring 60 and hold the one end 60 a.Further, on the upper surface 50 p of the driven gear 50, a through hole50 g as a “hole unit”, a lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h, and aslit unit 50 q are provided. The slit unit 50 q is in communication withthe through hole 50 g, and, as an example, extends radially inward ofthe driven gear 50 from the through hole 50 g. In the presentembodiment, the slit unit 50 q is set to a size that allows insertion ofa foot unit 62 h of the rotation restriction unit 62 described later.

In FIG. 10, a foot-unit accommodation unit 50 s is formed on a lowersurface 50 r of the driven gear 50. The foot-unit accommodation unit 50s communicates with the through hole 50 g and the slit unit 50 q on thelower surface 50 r. The foot-unit accommodation unit 50 s is configuredto allow pivoting of the foot unit 62 h of the rotation restriction unit62 when the foot unit 62 h passed through the slit unit 50 q is pivotedaround a pivot shaft 62 a as center. In the present embodiment, thefoot-unit accommodation unit 50 s may be formed as a fan-shaped concaveunit extending radially inward of the driven gear 50 around the throughhole 50 g in the lower surface 50 r. In the present embodiment, theconcave-shaped foot-unit accommodation unit 50 s is provided on thelower surface 50 r, and thus, the foot unit 62 h can be prevented fromprotruding from the lower surface 50 r, and the valve element drivemechanism 30 can be made smaller.

In FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. 24, the driven gear 50 has a protruding unit50 n protruding upward from the upper surface 50 p and protrudingradially outward. On one side of the protruding unit 50 n in thecircumferential direction of the driven gear 50, the first rotationrestriction unit 50 c is formed; on the other side thereof, the secondrotation restriction unit 50 k is formed. On the inner side of theprotruding unit 50 n in the radial direction of the driven gear 50, thelever pivoting restriction unit 50 h is formed. In the protruding unit50 n, the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h is formed to be concaveradially outward to receive a part of the pivot shaft 62 a and a part ofa lever unit 62 b of the lever-shaped rotation restriction unit 62.

At least a part of the through hole 50 g enters a site formed to beconcave radially outward in the protruding unit 50 n. Here, a circleindicated by a two-dot chain line with reference numeral 50 m in FIG. 24indicates a dedendum circle of the teeth of the meshing unit 50 a of thedriven gear 50. In the present embodiment, a part of the through hole 50g is located outward of the dedendum circle 50 m in the radialdirection. Thus, the through hole 50 g can be provided in a portion nearthe outer periphery in the radial direction of the driven gear 50, andthe length of the foot unit 62 h of the rotation restriction unit 62described later can be increased.

Further, in the protruding unit 50 n, a relief unit 50 t is formed onthe first direction R1 side of the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h,and a support surface 50 u is formed on the first direction R1 side ofthe relief unit 50 t. As illustrated in FIG. 24, the relief unit 50 t isshaped to be more recessed radially outward of the driven gear 50 thanthe lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h not to contact the pivot shaft62 a of the rotation restriction unit 62 in the protruding unit 50 n.Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 24, in a state where the rotationrestriction unit 62 contacts the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h, agap 50 v is formed between the pivot shaft 62 a and the relief unit 50t. It is noted that in FIG. 18 to FIG. 21, illustration of the gap 50 vis omitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 24, in the present embodiment, the gap 50 v isprovided to separate the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h from thepivot shaft 62 a and to separate a contact position of the leverpivoting restriction unit 50 h and a second contact unit 62 d of therotation restriction unit 62 from the pivot shaft 62 a.

Here, if the relief unit 50 t is not provided, the pivot shaft 62 a andthe lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h contact each other, and a frontend position of the lever unit 62 b will be unstable in a pivotingdirection due to a variation in dimension of the pivot shaft 62 a inmanufacturing. As a result, a contact position with the convex unit 46 bof the driving gear 46 will be unstable, and maintenance of the powernon-transmission state in the power transmission switching unit 52 willbe unstable. In the present embodiment, there is formed the gap 50 vbetween the relief unit 50 t and the pivot shaft 62 a, and thus, it ispossible to reduce the influence due to the variation in dimension ofthe pivot shaft 62 a in manufacturing to stabilize the front endposition of the lever unit 62 b.

The support surface 50 u is formed as a surface flushing with a part ofan inner peripheral surface of the through hole 50 g, and extends fromthe through hole 50 g to an upper portion of the protruding unit 50 nlocated above the through hole 50 g. Thus, the pivot shaft 62 a issupported by the support surface 50 u along the axial direction.

(Rotation Restriction Unit)

Referring to FIG. 11, the rotation restriction unit 62 includes thepivot shaft 62 a, the lever unit 62 b, and the foot unit 62 h. A firstcontact unit 62 c, the second contact unit 62 d, and a spring holdingunit 62 e are provided on the lever unit 62 b. The spring holding unit62 e includes a spring contact unit 62 f as an “urging member contactunit” and a spring detachment prevention unit 62 g.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the rotation restriction unit 62 is pivotablymounted on the driven gear 50. Specifically, the pivot shaft 62 a andthe foot unit 62 h of the rotation restriction unit 62 are inserted intothe through hole 50 g and the slit unit 50 q (FIG. 8) of the driven gear50. The rotation restriction unit 62 is configured such that the pivotshaft 62 a can pivot with respect to the driven gear 50.

A point with reference numeral Cl illustrates a pivoting center of thepivot shaft 62 a of the rotation restriction unit 62. In the presentembodiment, the rotation restriction unit 62 is attached to the drivengear 50 such that the pivoting center of the pivot shaft 62 a is locatedinside in the radial direction of the dedendum circle 50 m of the drivengear 50.

As illustrated in FIG. 11 and FIG. 24, in the present embodiment, thelever unit 62 b is provided on one end side in the axial direction ofthe pivot shaft 62 a and the foot unit 62 h is provided on the other endside thereof. In the present embodiment, the lever unit 62 b is formedas an arc-shaped lever extending from the pivot shaft 62 a. When therotation restriction unit 62 is mounted on the driven gear 50, thesecond contact unit 62 d is formed outside in the radial direction ofthe driven gear 50 in the lever unit 62 b. In the present embodiment,the second contact unit 62 d is configured as a curved surface extendingalong the circumferential direction of the driven gear 50. The firstcontact unit 62 c and the spring holding unit 62 e are formed at thefront end of the lever unit 62 b.

As illustrated in FIG. 24, the spring contact unit 62 f of the springholding unit 62 e of the lever unit 62 b of the rotation restrictionunit 62 is contacted by the other end 60 b of the torsion spring 60, andis pressed by the other end 60 b of the torsion spring 60. In the springholding unit 62 e, the spring detachment prevention unit 62 g isarranged on the opposite side to the spring contact unit 62 f with theother end 60 b of the torsion spring 60 interposed therebetween. Whenthe other end 60 b of the torsion spring 60 in contact with the springcontact unit 62 f is separated from the spring contact unit 62 f due toa pivoting state of the rotation restriction unit 62, the springdetachment prevention unit 62 g prevents the other end 60 b of thetorsion spring 60 from being detached from the spring holding unit 62 e.Thus, the torsion spring 60 can be held with a simple configuration.

In the present embodiment, the spring contact unit 62 f is provided at afront end of the lever unit 62 b. Here, the urging force of the torsionspring 60 urging the spring contact unit 62 f applies a rotationalmoment in the clockwise direction in FIG. 24 to the rotation restrictionunit 62. The amount of this rotational moment is determined depending onthe distance from the center C1 of the pivot shaft 62 a to the springcontact unit 62 f and the urging force of the torsion spring 60. In thepresent embodiment, the spring contact unit 62 f is provided at thefront end of the lever unit 62 b to obtain a large torque, even if theurging force of the torsion spring 60 is small. Thus, when the leverunit 62 b of the rotation restriction unit 62 is separated from theconvex unit 46 b, the front end of the lever unit 62 b can be surelyreturned, by the urging force of the torsion spring 60, to a positionrestricted by the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h which is theposition before the contact with the convex unit 46 b.

In the present embodiment, the rotation restriction unit 62 receives theurging force of the torsion spring 60 such that the second contact unit62 d of the lever unit 62 b contacts the lever pivoting restriction unit50 h of the driven gear 50 to press the lever pivoting restriction unit50 h. That is, the lever unit 62 b of the rotation restriction unit 62is urged outward in the radial direction of the driven gear 50 by theurging force of the torsion spring 60, and the pivoting radially outwardis restricted at the position where the second contact unit 62 dcontacts the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h.

On the other hand, when the second contact unit 62 d is pressed radiallyinward of the driven gear 50 against the urging force of the torsionspring 60, the rotation restriction unit 62 pivots radially inward ofthe driven gear 50 about the pivot shaft 62 a. When the pressureradially inward against the second contact unit 62 d is released, thelever unit 62 b pivots back to the position where the second contactunit 62 d contacts the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h by theurging force of the torsion spring 60.

In FIG. 24, an arrow with reference numeral F1 indicates the directionin which the torsion spring 60 urges the spring contact unit 62 f In thepresent embodiment, the foot unit 62 h of the rotation restriction unit62 extends from the pivot shaft 62 a in a direction opposite to theurging direction F1 at the other end 60 b of the torsion spring 60.Specifically, the foot unit 62 h extends radially inward of the drivengear 50 from the pivot shaft 62 a. Here, the direction opposite to theurging direction F1 does not only include a direction obtained byreversing the urging direction F1 by 180 degrees, but also includes adirection including a vector component in the direction opposite to theurging direction F1 as a vector component of the force.

In FIG. 25, when the torsion spring 60 urges the spring contact unit 62f, the rotation restriction unit 62 begins to pivot clockwise in FIG. 25about the center C2 in the axial direction of the pivot shaft 62 a.However, in the present embodiment, when the rotation restriction unit62 begins to pivot clockwise, the foot unit 62 h extending in thedirection opposite to the urging direction F1 is pressed again thefoot-unit accommodation unit 50 s, and thus, collapsing of the pivotshaft 62 a is suppressed and pivoting of the rotation restriction unit62 is restricted. Further, similarly to the foot unit 62 h, the supportsurface 50 u also restricts the pivoting of the rotation restrictionunit 62, and supports the pivot shaft 62 a to restrict collapsing of thepivot shaft 62 a in the clockwise direction.

Further, the foot unit 62 h is configured to extend radially inward ofthe driven gear 50 from the pivot shaft 62 a, and thus, the length ofthe foot unit 62 h can be made longer compared to a case where the footunit 62 h extends radially outward of the driven gear 50. As a result,it is possible to prevent the pivot shaft 62 a from easily collapsing.

(Valve Element)

The valve element 56 will be described with reference to FIG. 7, FIG.13A, and FIG. 13B. As illustrated in FIG. 13A, and FIG. 13B, the valveelement 56 is configured as a disc-like member. A through hole 56 a isprovided at a center of the valve element 56. The spindle 54 is insertedinto the through hole 56 a. The lower surface of the valve element 56 isconfigured as a sliding surface 56 b sliding on the valve seat surface34 c of the valve seat constitutional member 34. In the valve element56, a part of the sliding surface 56 b is cut away to form a cutout unit56 c.

As illustrated in FIG. 13B, the cutout unit 56 c has a shape beingrecessed upward with respect to the sliding surface 56 b of the valveelement 56. It is noted that two through holes 56 d are arranged in thecutout unit 56 c. In the present embodiment, in one configuration as anexample, non-illustrated bosses protruding from the lower surface of thedriven gear 50 are inserted into the through holes 56 d, so that thedriven gear 50 and the valve element 56 are integrally rotatable.

Further, there is provided an orifice 56 e penetrating in the up-downdirection and opening at the sliding surface 56 b, on the valve element56. In the present embodiment, the orifice 56 e includes a portionnarrower than the first fluid outlet 34 a and the second fluid outlet 34b in the fluid path. More preferably, the orifice 56 e includes anarrowest portion in the fluid path.

The above is the main configuration of the valve drive device 10 and thevalve element drive mechanism 30, and in the following, control of thefluid of the valve element 56 by the valve element drive mechanism 30and the power transmission state and the power non-transmission statebetween the driving gear 46 and the driven gear 50 will be described inthis order.

(Fluid Control by Valve Element)

Flow rate control of fluid from the fluid inlet 28 b to at least one ofthe first fluid outlet 34 a and the second fluid outlet 34 b will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 17. In step S0 of FIG. 15,the driving gear 46 is located at the origin position with respect tothe driven gear 50. A relationship between the teeth of the driving gear46 and the teeth of the driven gear 50 at the origin position will bedescribed later.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, in step S0 (origin position), the cutout unit56 c of the valve element 56 is located above the first fluid outlet 34a and the second fluid outlet 34 b. Accordingly, since the valve element56 does not close the first fluid outlet 34 a and the second fluidoutlet 34 b, the first fluid outlet 34 a and the second fluid outlet 34b are in the opened state. Thus, the fluid supplied from the fluid inlet28 b into the valve chamber 32 flows out to the first outflow pipe 16and the second outflow pipe 18 through the first fluid outlet 34 a andthe second fluid outlet 34 b (see an opening/closing mode of FIG. 14).

Then, the motor 24 is rotationally driven to rotate the rotor 40, andhence the driving gear 46, in the first direction R1. At this time, thedriven gear 50 meshing with the driving gear 46 is also driven to rotate(in the clockwise direction in FIG. 15) and shifts to the state of stepSi (the central diagram in FIG. 15). The driven rotation of the drivengear 50 causes the valve element 56 to slide against the valve seatconstitutional member 34 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 15 with thesliding surface 56 b in close contact with the valve seat surface 34 c.Also in step S1, since the cutout unit 56 c is located above the firstfluid outlet 34 a and the second fluid outlet 34 b, the first fluidoutlet 34 a and the second fluid outlet 34 b are in the open state, thatis, in the opening mode in FIG. 14.

As illustrated in the lower diagram of FIG. 15, when the driving gear 46is further rotated in the first direction R1, the state of step S1 isshifted to the state of step S2. In this state, the orifice 56 e islocated above the first fluid outlet 34 a, and the cutout unit 56 c islocated above the second fluid outlet 34 b. The first fluid outlet 34 ais in a state where the flow rate of the fluid flowing out from thefirst fluid outlet 34 a is restricted by the orifice 56 e.

That is, the flow rate of the fluid flowing out from the first fluidoutlet 34 a restricted by the orifice 56 e is lower than the flow rateof the fluid flowing out from the first fluid outlet 34 a in thecompletely opened state as in steps S0 and S1. That is, a slight openingmode is obtained in step S2 of FIG. 14. The second fluid outlet 34 b isin the opened state, and thus, is in the opening mode.

Next, as illustrated in the upper diagram in FIG. 16, when the drivinggear 46 is further rotated in the first direction R1, the state of stepS2 is shifted to the state of step S3. In this state, the orifice 56 eis displaced from the position above the first fluid outlet 34 a. Thefirst fluid outlet 34 a is covered with and closed by the slidingsurface 56 b of the valve element 56. Accordingly, the first fluidoutlet 34 a is in the closing mode (FIG. 14), and the path of fluid fromthe valve chamber 32 to the first outflow pipe 16 is blocked. On theother hand, the cutout unit 56 c is located above the second fluidoutlet 34 b. Accordingly, the second fluid outlet 34 b is open, andthus, is in the opening mode (FIG. 14).

Then, as illustrated in the central diagram of FIG. 16, when the drivinggear 46 is further rotated in the first direction R1, the state of stepS3 is shifted to the state of step S4. In this state, the first fluidoutlet 34 a is covered with and closed by the sliding surface 56 b ofthe valve element 56. Accordingly, the first fluid outlet 34 a maintainsthe state of the closing mode (FIG. 14) continuously from step S3, andthe state where the path of fluid from the valve chamber 32 to the firstoutflow pipe 16 is blocked is maintained.

Further, the orifice 56 e is located above the second fluid outlet 34 b.Accordingly, the second fluid outlet 34 b is in a state where the flowrate of the fluid flowing out from the second fluid outlet 34 b isrestricted by the orifice 56 e, that is, is in the slight opening modein step S4 of FIG. 14.

Next, as illustrated in the lower diagram of FIG. 16, when the drivinggear 46 is further rotated in the first direction R1, the state of stepS4 is shifted to the state of step S5. In the state of step S5, thefirst fluid outlet 34 a and the second fluid outlet 34 b are coveredwith the sliding surface 56 b of the valve element 56 to be in theclosed state. That is, the closing mode is obtained in step S5 of FIG.14. In this state, the path of fluid from the valve chamber 32 to thefirst outflow pipe 16 and the second outflow pipe 18 is blocked.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 17, when the driving gear 46 is furtherrotated in the first direction R1, the state of step S5 is shifted tothe state of step S6. In the state of step S6, the cutout unit 56 c isagain located above the first fluid outlet 34 a. Accordingly, the firstfluid outlet 34 a is completely open, and is in the opening mode in FIG.14. On the other hand, the second fluid outlet 34 b maintains the closedstate where the second fluid outlet 34 b is covered with the slidingsurface 56 b of the valve element 56, and thus, the state where the pathof fluid from the valve chamber 32 to the second outflow pipe 18 isblocked is maintained. That is, the closing mode is obtained in step S6of FIG. 14.

In the present embodiment, the valve element 56 is rotated with respectto the valve seat constitutional member 34 by the motor 24 so that eachof the first fluid outlet 34 a and the second fluid outlet 34 b can beswitched to the opened state, the slightly opened state, or the closedstate, and thus, the flow rate of the fluid flowing out from the valvechamber 32 to each of the first outflow pipe 16 and the second outflowpipe 18 can be adjusted.

(Switching from Power Transmission State to Power Non-Transmission Statein Power Transmission Switching Unit)

Next, an origin position returning operation of the power transmissionswitching unit 52 of the valve element drive mechanism 30 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 18 and FIG. 19. In step S7, the drivinggear 46 rotates in the second direction R2. In the state of step S7, thegear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46 meshes with the meshing unit 50 aof the driven gear 50. It is noted that, in step S7, after rotating thedriving gear 46 in the first direction R1 so that the driven gear 50 isdriven to rotate, the rotation direction is switched to the seconddirection side and a state on the way of returning to the originposition is obtained.

When the state is further shifted from step S7 to step S8, the drivinggear 46 returns to the origin position with respect to the driven gear50. Here, the origin position indicates a state where the meshing statebetween the gear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46 and the meshing unit50 a of the driven gear 50 is released, and the gear unit 46 a islocated within the non-meshing unit 50 b of the driven gear 50. In thisstate, if the driving gear 46 rotates in the second direction, the powernon-transmission state is obtained where the power is not transmittedfrom the driving gear 46 to the driven gear 50.

Specifically, referring to the diagrams of steps S7 to 12, when thedriving gear 46 rotates in the second direction R2, the four convexunits 46 b also rotate in the second direction R2. When proceeding fromsteps S7 to S9, the convex unit 46 b facing the second contact unit 62 dof the rotation restriction unit 62 approaches the second contact unit62 d while rotating in the second direction R2, and finally contacts thesecond contact unit 62 d in step S9.

When the driving gear 46 further rotates in the second direction R2, theconvex unit 46 b in contact with the second contact unit 62 d alsobegins to rotate in the second direction R2. At this time, the convexunit 46 b presses the second contact unit 62 d against the urging forceof the torsion spring 60 as illustrated in steps S10 and S11. As aresult, the rotation restriction unit 62 pivots radially inward of thedriven gear 50 about the pivot shaft 62 a.

Afterwards, as illustrated in steps S11 and S12, when the driving gear46 further rotates in the second direction R2, the convex unit 46 bwhich has pressed the second contact unit 62 d is separated from thesecond contact unit 62 d. As a result, the rotation restriction unit 62pivots radially outward by the urging force of the torsion spring 60,and pivots to a position where the second contact unit 62 d contacts thelever pivoting restriction unit 50 h of the driven gear 50.

In the present embodiment, when the driving gear 46 is rotated in thesecond direction R2 in a state where the gear unit 46 a of the drivinggear 46 is located within the non-meshing unit 50 b of the driven gear50, the gear unit 46 a continues to rotate idly in the non-meshing unit50 b while the convex unit 46 b intermittently repeats contact with andseparation from the second contact unit 62 d of the rotation restrictionunit 62. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inadvertent contactbetween the tooth of the driving gear 46 and the tooth of the drivengear 50 in the power non-transmission state, and to prevent thegeneration of a collision noise when the teeth collide.

When the gear unit 46 a continuously rotates idly in the non-meshingunit 50 b, the state continues where the meshing state between the gearunit 46 a of the driving gear 46 and the meshing unit 50 a of the drivengear 50 is released. As a result, the power non-transmission state wherethe power of the motor 24 is not transmitted from the driving gear 46 tothe driven gear 50 is maintained. Therefore, the possibility of astep-out occurring in the motor 24 can be reduced, and thus, noisecaused by the step-out can be suppressed.

(Second Rotation Restriction Unit)

The second rotation restriction unit 50 k will be described withreference to FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B. FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B illustrate therelationship between the driving gear 46 and the driven gear 50 fromstep S10 to step S11. In FIG. 23A, when the convex unit 46 b contactsthe second contact unit 62 d of the rotation restriction unit 62 topress the second contact unit 62 d, the convex unit 46 b rotates in thesecond direction R2, and thus, presses the second contact unit 62 d suchthat the second contact unit 62 d rotates in the counterclockwisedirection in FIG. 23A.

Here, the second contact unit 62 d pressed by the convex unit 46 b triesto rotate, together with the driven gear 50, in the counterclockwisedirection in FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B. In the present embodiment, in thedriven gear 50, the second rotation restriction unit 50 k is arranged onthe first direction R1 side of the non-meshing unit 50 b. When thedriven gear 50 rotates together with the second contact unit 62 d in thecounterclockwise direction in FIG. 23A, the second rotation restrictionunit 50 k contacts the gear of the gear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46located in the non-meshing unit 50 b (FIG. 23A).

When the second rotation restriction unit 50 k contacts the tooth of thegear unit 46 a, the counterclockwise rotation of the driven gear 50 inFIG. 23A and FIG. 23B is restricted. Further, even when the driving gear46 continues to rotate in the second direction R2 in this state, thestate where the second rotation restriction unit 50 k contacts one ofthe teeth of the gear unit 46 a (FIG. 23B) is maintained, and thus, therotation-restricted state of the driven gear 50 is maintained. Thus, thegear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46 can rotate idly in the non-meshingunit 50 b, and the power non-transmission state can be maintained.

(Second Contact Unit)

Further, with reference to FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B, an advantage obtainedby configuring the second contact unit 62 d as a curved surface will bedescribed. FIG. 26A illustrates a rotation restriction unit 66 in whichthe second contact unit is formed in a linear shape. The rotationrestriction unit 66 includes a pivot shaft 66 a, a lever unit 66 b, anda second contact unit 66 c. FIG. 26A illustrates a displacement of apivoting state of the rotation restriction unit 66 including the linearlever unit 66 b, and FIG. 26B illustrates a displacement of a pivotingstate of the rotation restriction unit 62 according to the presentembodiment.

In FIG. 26A, the linear second contact unit 66 c pivots radially inwardof the driven gear 50 when contacting the convex unit 46 b. The convexunit 46 b in contact with the second contact unit 66 c pivots in thesecond direction R2 along the linear second contact unit 66 c. At thistime, the linear second contact unit 66 c is pushed radially inward ofthe driven gear 50 until immediately before separating from the convexunit 46 b. When the convex unit 46 b is separated from the secondcontact unit 66 c, the rotation restriction unit 66 pivots, by theurging force of the non-illustrated torsion spring 60, by a pivotingamount W1, to a position where the second contact unit 66 c contacts thelever pivoting restriction unit 50 h. It is noted that a two-dot chainline in FIG. 26A schematically illustrates the second contact unit 66 cin contact with the lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h and theposition of the convex unit 46 b in this state.

On the other hand, in FIG. 26B, if the second contact unit 62 dconfigured as a curved surface contacts the convex unit 46 b, the secondcontact unit 62 d is pivoted radially inward of the driven gear 50. Ifthe driving gear 46 pivots in the second direction R2, the convex unit46 b moves while sliding with the second contact unit 62 d. At thistime, since the second contact unit 62 d is a curved surface along thecircumferential direction of the driven gear 50, along with the pivotingof the convex unit 46 b in the second direction R2, the second contactunit 62 d returns gradually radially outward from the state where thesecond contact unit 62 d is pushed radially inward of the driven gear50. Then, if the convex unit 46 b is separated from the second contactunit 62 d, the second contact unit 62 d returns by a pivoting amount W2to a position where the second contact unit 62 d contacts the leverpivoting restriction unit 50 h. A two-dot chain line in FIG. 26Bschematically illustrates the second contact unit 62 d in contact withthe lever pivoting restriction unit 50 h and the position of the convexunit 46 b in this state.

Here, the rotation restriction unit 62 starts pivoting radially outwardfrom the state before the convex unit 46 b is separated from the secondcontact unit 62 d, and thus, the amount W2 of pivoting radially outwardobtained when the convex unit 46 b is separated from the second contactunit 62 d, can be made smaller than the pivoting amount W1 of therotation restriction unit 66. As a result, the impact generated when thesecond contact unit 62 d contacts the lever pivoting restriction unit 50h can be mitigated, and the impact sound (noise) can be suppressed.

(Switching from Power Non-Transmission State to Power TransmissionState)

Next, switching from the power non-transmission state to the powertransmission state will be described with reference to FIG. 20 and FIG.21. In the present embodiment, as illustrated in step S13, in the statewhere the gear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46 is positioned within thenon-meshing unit 50 b of the driven gear 50, that is, in the powernon-transmission state, the driving gear 46 is set to the originposition. It is noted that positioning of the driving gear 46 in theorigin position is performed by exciting the stator 36 with apredetermined excitation pattern.

When the driving gear 46 starts rotating in the first direction R1 instep S14, the convex unit 46 b contacts the first contact unit 62 c ofthe rotation restriction unit 62, and presses the rotation restrictionunit 62, and hence the driven gear 50 in the clockwise direction in FIG.20. Here, since the convex unit 46 b in contact with the first contactunit 62 c presses the first contact unit 62 c toward the pivot shaft 62a in the direction intersecting the first contact unit 62 c, therotation restriction unit 62 cannot pivot. As a result, the driven gear50 is pressed by the convex unit 46 b via the first contact unit 62 c ofthe rotation restriction unit 62 and rotates in the clockwise directionin FIG. 20.

As a result, as illustrated in step S15, the teeth of the gear unit 46 aof the driving gear 46 leave the non-meshing unit 50 b of the drivengear 50 to start meshing with the teeth of the meshing unit 50 a. Thus,the power transmission switching unit 52 switches from the powernon-transmission state to the power transmission state. Further, whenthe driving gear 46 pivots in the first direction R1, the driven gear 50continues to pivot in the clockwise direction in FIG. 21, by meshingbetween the teeth of the gear unit 46 a and the teeth of the meshingunit 50 a, as illustrated in step S16.

Further, as illustrated in step S17, by rotating the driving gear 46 inthe first direction R1, the driven gear 50 can be rotated in theclockwise direction in FIG. 21, and thus, the operations in the valveelement 56 from steps S1 to S6 can be performed.

Next, the relationship between the driving gear 46 and the driven gear50 at the origin position (in the state of step S13 in FIG. 20) will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 22. In the present embodiment, when thedriving gear 46 is located at the origin position, the convex unit 46 bis located at a position corresponding to the first contact unit 62 c ofthe rotation restriction unit 62. Here, the lock avoidance tooth 46 c isformed at a position corresponding to the convex unit 46 b in thecircumferential direction of the driving gear 46.

In FIG. 22, a circular arc indicated by a dot-dashed line illustrates anaddendum circle of the teeth other than the lock avoidance tooth 46 c inthe gear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46. In FIG. 22, in the statewhere the driving gear 46 is located at the origin position, a tooth 50j at the boundary between the meshing unit 50 a and the non-meshing unit50 b of the driven gear 50 is located at a position to interfere with anaddendum circle of the teeth other than the lock avoidance tooth 46 c.

In this state, when the driving gear 46 is to rotate in the firstdirection in the state where a tooth other than the lock avoidance tooth46 c is arranged at the position of the lock avoidance tooth 46 c, thetooth 50 j of the driven gear 50 and the tooth being located at theposition of the lock avoidance tooth 46 c and being the tooth other thanthe lock avoidance tooth 46 c may contact each other, which results in alocked state of the driving gear 46 and the driven gear 50.

In the present embodiment, when the driving gear 46 is located at theorigin position, the lock avoidance tooth 46 c of the driving gear 46 isarranged close to the tooth 50 j of the driven gear 50. Thus, since theaddendum circle of the lock avoidance tooth 46 c is smaller than theaddendum circle of the teeth other than the lock avoidance tooth 46 c, agap 64 can be formed between the tooth 50 j of the driven gear 50 andthe lock avoidance tooth 46 c of the driving gear 46. The gap 64 isformed to avoid the locked state between the driving gear 46 and thedriven gear 50. As a result, in the power transmission switching unit52, switching from the power non-transmission state to the powertransmission state between the driving gear 46 and the driven gear 50can be smoothly performed, and thus, the occurrence of abnormaloperation (displacement of the gear unit 46 a of the driving gear 46with respect to the excitation pattern) and operation failure can besuppressed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the rotation restrictionunit 62 in the power transmission switching unit 52 is configured toallow rotation of the driven gear 50 when the driving gear 46 rotates inthe first direction, and to restrict the rotation of the driven gear 50when the driving gear 46 rotates in the second direction. That is, therotation restriction unit 62 is configured as a clutch mechanism. Theconfiguration of a known clutch mechanism is utilized for the rotationrestriction unit 62 in the present embodiment to reduce the design timeand the costs.

The rotation restriction unit 62 in the present embodiment transmitspower from the driving gear 46 to the driven gear 50 when the drivinggear 46 rotates in the first direction, and cuts off the powertransmission from the driving gear 46 to the driven gear 50 when thedriving gear 46 rotates in the second direction, thus, the powertransmission state can be switched by solely switching the rotationdirection of the driving gear 46, and therefore, the configuration ofthe rotation restriction unit 62 can be simplified.

Modification of Embodiment

(1) In the present embodiment, the configuration is employed where therotation restriction unit 62 is urged by the torsion spring 60 as anexample of the “urging member”. However, instead of this configuration,the urging member may be configured by a plate spring or the like.

(2) In the present embodiment, a configuration may be employed where thepower transmission switching unit 52 switches the power transmission byswitching the engagement state between the convex unit 46 b and therotation restriction unit 62 (contact between the convex unit 46 b andthe first contact unit 62 c or the second contact unit 62 d). However,instead of this configuration, a configuration may be employed where therotation restriction unit 62 is provided with a known ratchet mechanismto cause the driving gear 46 to rotate idly.

(3) In the present embodiment, a configuration may be employed where thefoot-unit accommodation unit 50 s for accommodating the foot unit 62 his provided on the lower surface 50 r of the driven gear 50. However,instead of this configuration, a configuration may be employed where thefoot-unit accommodation unit 50 s is not provided on the lower surface50 r and the foot unit 62 h protrudes from the lower surface 50 r to bepivotable to contact the lower surface 50 r.

(4) In the present embodiment, a configuration may be employed where thefoot unit 62 h is a single foot unit extending in the opposite directionof the urging direction of the torsion spring 60. However, instead ofthis configuration, a configuration may be employed where a plurality offoot units are provided, and foot units extending in the urgingdirection of the torsion spring 60 may be provided, for example.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the disclosures. Indeed, the embodiments described herein maybe embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions,substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments describedherein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosures.The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover suchforms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of thedisclosures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A valve drive device comprising a valve elementdrive mechanism configured to drive a valve element, wherein the valveelement drive mechanism comprises: a motor; a driving gear configured tobe rotationally driven by the motor; a driven gear configured to rotatethe valve element by rotation of the driving gear while meshing with thedriving gear; and a power transmission switching unit configured toswitch between a power transmission state where the driving gear mesheswith the driven gear to transmit power of the motor to the driven gearand a power non-transmission state where a meshing state between thedriving gear and the driven gear is released, the power transmissionswitching unit comprises: at least one convex unit formed on the drivinggear and configured to protrude toward a radial direction of the drivinggear; and a rotation restriction unit that is pivotably mounted on thedriven gear with respect to the driven gear and configured to beengageable with the at least one convex unit, the rotation restrictionunit comprises: a pivot shaft inserted in the driven gear; and a leverunit extending from the pivot shaft in a circumferential direction ofthe driven gear and urged outward in a radial direction of the drivengear, the driven gear includes a lever pivoting restriction unitconfigured to contact the lever unit of the rotation restriction unit torestrict the rotation restriction unit from pivoting radially outward,and in a state where the lever pivoting restriction unit restricts therotation restriction unit from pivoting, a gap is formed between thelever pivoting restriction unit and the pivot shaft.
 2. The valve drivedevice according to claim 1, wherein the lever unit of the rotationrestriction unit comprises a first contact unit configured to contactthe at least one convex unit when the driving gear rotates in a firstdirection, and a second contact unit configured to contact the at leastone convex unit when the driving gear rotates in a second direction thatis opposite to the first direction, when the at least one convex unitcontacts the first contact unit, the rotation restriction unit ispressed by the at least one convex unit to rotate the driven gear, andteeth of the driving gear and teeth of the driven gear mesh with eachother such that the power transmission state is obtained, and when theat least one convex unit contacts the second contact unit, the rotationrestriction unit pivots radially inward against an urging force thaturges the rotation restriction unit, and the driving gear rotates idlywithout the teeth of the driving gear meshing with the teeth of thedriven gear to maintain the power non-transmission state.
 3. The valvedrive device according to claim 2, wherein when a part of the secondcontact unit contacts the lever pivoting restriction unit, the leverunit being urged outward in the radial direction of the driven gear isrestricted from pivoting radially outward.
 4. The valve drive deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the second contact unit of the lever unitis located on an outer peripheral side in the radial direction of thedriven gear and is formed as a curved surface extending along thecircumferential direction of the driven gear.
 5. The valve drive deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the driven gear comprises a co-rotationprevention unit configured to restrict the driven gear from rotating ina rotation direction in accordance with a rotation direction of thedriving gear by being pressed by the at least one convex unit in arotation direction of the at least one convex unit, when the at leastone convex unit contacts the second contact unit and the rotationrestriction unit pivots radially inward against the urging force thaturges the rotation restriction unit.
 6. The valve drive device accordingto claim 1, further comprising an urging member configured to urge therotation restriction unit outward in the radial direction of the drivengear.
 7. The valve drive device according to claim 6, furthercomprising, at a distal end of the lever unit, an urging member contactunit configured to receive an urging force of the urging member.
 8. Thevalve drive device according to claim 7, wherein the urging member is atorsion spring held on a shaft unit of the driven gear, the driven gearis provided with a holding unit configured to hold one end of thetorsion spring, and the other end of the torsion spring urges the urgingmember contact unit.
 9. The valve drive device according to claim 1,wherein the driven gear has a protruding unit configured to protruderadially outward and in an axial direction of the driven gear from onesurface of the driven gear, and on an inner side of the protruding unitin the radial direction of the driven gear, the lever pivotingrestriction unit is formed.
 10. The valve drive device according toclaim 9, wherein the driven gear has a hole unit configured to penetratethe driven gear in the axial direction of the driven gear, a part of thehole unit is formed in the protruding unit, and the protruding unit has,at a position corresponding to the hole unit, a support surfaceextending along the axial direction of the driven gear and configured tosupport the pivot shaft.